Self-damping gyropendulum



Patented Dec. 9, 1924. l

UNITED STATI-:sl

PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER F. BATES, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YOBQK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPERBY GYRO- SCOPE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELF-DAMPING GYROPENDULUM.

Application led October 21, 1922. Serial No. 596,008.

'To all whom t concer/n:

Be it known that I, MORTIMER F. BATES, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented ce1"- tain new and useful Improvements in Self- Damping Gyropendulums, of which the following is a specification. j

This invention relates to gyroscopic pendulums and has for its object the provision of an improved device of this character. More specifically it relates to an improved form of damping means for said pendulums;

One of the principal objects of the present yinvention is" to provide means carried by the gyro-frame or housing for vdamping or suppressing the oscillations of the gyropendulum without causing unequal pendulosities of the latter about different axes, said meansA comprising a universally suspended pendulum wherebyit may swing in all directions and directly control the damping forces or torques. f

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement of the self-damping gyropndulum, shown in Patent 1,324,482 to orris M. Titterington, dated December 9, 1919, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Therein, a pendulum was pivotally supported on an oscillatory shaft to swing in a plane at right angles thereto, said shaft carrying a plurality of blades adapted to cooperate with orifices through which air was forced by a fan on thegyra-rotor.

lVhen uncovered by the blades, the air forced through the orifices produces a torque about the horizontal axis, thereby tending to quickly suppress all oscillations. Since the mean position of the pendulum must be vertical and as the gy-ro does not respond instantly to the action of the air jets, the result is that the gyro axis settles on the vertical corresponding to the mean position of the pendulum. 'By this arrangement, but two jets are employed which act in one plane only. While the present invention is based upon a similar principle of operation, I have greatly simplified the construction, by eliminating parts, and have produced a more rugged and efficient device. In addition, 'by a novel construction of the pendulum and jets, I am able to obtain an immediate restoring force, no matter in what direction the acceleration forces act, thus not only accelerating the damping action, but tending resenting to annul the disturbing effect of an acceleration force as soon as the force acts. I employ a hemi-spherical bowl for collecting the air under pressure, which bowl is designed to hold a predetermined'volume. A suit- .able number of nozzles, which may be any number greater than two (three being shown herein) are equi-distantly and tangentially arranged on the outside of the bowl to exert a torque in the proper direction, whereby the gyro may be more readily affected by the action of the air ejected through the nozzles. The nozzles are directly controlled by the pendulum, which has a bob ink the form of a part of the sphere, less than a hemisphere, universally pivoted at a point repthe center of a sphere of which the bowl is a hemisphere. The-orifices to said nozzles are arranged with respect to the pendulum 'bob so that they will be equally covered when the vertical axes of the pendu'- lum and the gyroscope coincide.

Other novel features of my invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts.4

My invention will be better understood from the following description taken in'connection with the accompanying drawings, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, illustrating what I now consider a preferred form of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a gyro-pendulum taken on two radii represented by the line 1-1 of Fig. 4, to illustrate the struc' tual details and avoid a multiplicity of drawings,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower portion of Fig. 1 illustrating the air bowl and external jets, v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of the fan blades, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2 as seen from the bottom illustrating one arrangement the air jets may assume. U

Referring now to the drawings in which the numeral 1 indicates the gyro-frame 1n which is rotatably mounted a. normally vertical spindle 2, having suitable bearings at 3 and 4. A gyroscopic rotor 5 is fixed on the spindle 2. This rotor is ypreferably propelled by a motori` of which the primary G is secured to the fra-me 1 and of which the lit) secondary 7 is carried by said rotor as shown in Fig. 1. Current may be supplied to the stator 6 in any suitable manner. The frame the pin may travel. The pin 15 is pref-- 1 is universally mounted about horizontal axes in the usual .manner, which may be accomplished by providing the frame with horizontal pivots, of which one is Shown at 8 in Fig. 1,y rotatably mounted preferably by means of ball or'other anti-friction bearings 9, in a gimbal ring 10, which in turn is similarly mounted for oscillation or rotation about a horizontal pivot at right angles to the pivots 8, as. indicated by the dotted circle 11, which pivots are supported by a pair of standards 12, secured to a base 14. But one of the standards 12 is visible in Fig. 1, the same being shown partl in full lines and the remainder indicated y the dotted lines 12. Preferably, the gyro-pendulum as awhole has its center of gravity only slightly below said axes so that it has a lonfr natural period, say 5 minutes or more. vertical pin 1'5 is ixed to the frame 1 in any suitable manner, in axial alignment with spindle 2. Said pin 15 )may be provided with a pointer for indicating the angle the base 14 may make with the vertical, or as shown in Fig. 1, it may be connected to a bail 16 for transmitting motion to an indicator in a well known manner. The bail 16 is suitably pivoted in standards 17, located at right angles to the standards 12;` and is provided wlth a suitable race 18 in ,which erably provided' with a roller 19 to minimize the friction in the race,18. A suitable nut 20 may be provided on the pin 15 for the purpose of adjusting the pendulosity.

By making the entire structure carried by the pivots 8 slightly pendulous, it is obvious that the spindle 2 will maintain a substantially vertical position in spite of-acceleration forces, provided the gyro-pendulum is properly damped. I therefore provide damping means carried wlolly by the frame 1 and constructed substantially as follows:

Air pressure is employed as a source of energy, created by a suitable fan 21 secured to the rotor 5, and by providing the housing l with suitable inlet passages 2 and exhaust passages 23. Preferably, -t e exhaust ports are at right angles to the gyro axis and are above or below (preferably below) the main axes of support 8 and 11 of the gyro-pendulum. As shown in Fig. 3, the fan 21 is provided with a number of blades 24, tangentially arranged with respect to a small circle described aboutits center, which extend to the periphery of the fan in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow, whereby air drawn in at the central portion of the fan ywill be forced out between the blades 24 to its periphery. As shown in Fig. 1, the fan 21 is dish shaped, with a flat central portion 21', from which the blades be directed downwardly. The member 26 is also provided with a suitable. number of hollow spokes 27, preferably four, of which one is visible iny Fig. l, which forms the inlet passages 22. municate with `a passage 28, formed by a flange 29 yof a hub 30, which hub as shown, also supports the bearings 4. The passage 28 faces the portion'21 of fan 21, so that air may be sucked through the passages 22 to the surface 21 and expelled by the rotation of the blades 24 avainst the surface 26. The lower portion of the housing is inclosed by a hemispherical bowl 30 which may be. secured to the member 26 in any suitable manner, such as by screws 31, of which but one is shown. A suitable number of exhaust ports 23, preferably three, although a greater number may be employed, are arranged in the same horizontal plane. Said slots are preferably in the form of horizontal slots equally spaced about the circumferences of chamber 30. These ports are best illustrated in Fig. 4, from which it will be seen that these ports are tangentially arranged on the outside of said bowl, each port being provided at its end with a small nozzle 32 to increase the velocity of the air passing from the bowl 30. The exhaust ports .23 are controlled by a pendulum 33. This pendulum may be in the form of a hollow sphere cut on a line parallel to its diameter, which diameter is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the. hemispherical bowl 30, and is supported by an arm 34 so that it will just clear the inside wall of the bowl 30. The arm 34 is threaded at one end to engage threads formed in a central lug 35 formed on the bob 33. At. its opposite end, the arm 34A may be formed 4with a ball 36, or otherwise secured to such a ball, which ball rests in a hemispherical depression formed on a threaded member 37, secured into the hub 30. The lower surface of the member 37 has been conically cut away so that the pendulum 33 may freely swing in all directions. Said pendulum naturally has a very much shorter period than the. gyro pendulum, as its length is comparatively short. It will be observed that the ball 36 is supported in the spherical center of the bowl 30, which center is in' the same vertical plane as the. gyro axis 2. From Fig. 1, it will also vbe observed that the pendulum 33 is designedV to equally close the ports 23, when in its normal position, that position being vertical, or with the axis of the spindlev 2 and The passages 22 com- Y drawn throuffh arm 34 the same vertical plane. In such position, all ports are preferably part way open. The spherical surface of the pendulum 33 is formed with a number of concentric grooves 38, which construction is generally known as labyrinth packing to steady theI oscillations of the pendulum. To prevent cushionin and the consequential raising of the pendulum from its suspended seat, an opening 39 is provided in the bottom of the bowl 30, as shown.

In view of the foregoing detailed statement, the operation of my invention will be readily understood from a brief description. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, and the rotor 5 rotating clockwise when viewed from the top, air is' rts 22 to passage 28 and by the act-ion oi? b ades 24 driven to the walls 26 and directed thereby downwardly into bowl 30. Since the ports 23 are only par- 'tially closed by the pendulum 33, but part of the air may escape, as the size of said ports and of said bowl are designed in proper relations to permit the building u of a predetermined pressure within the bow Assuming that the motion of the base 14 is such as to cause the gyro to become inclined about the axis 11, movingl the pin 15 to the right. Since the pendulum 33 maintains a mean vertical position and is of short period, the port 23 shown at the left in Fig. 1 will be uncovered and the others covered. The

jet 32 on-this port is open towards the vobserver when viewed in Fi l. The reaction of the air through this )et will create a torque directed from the observer, which will exert a couple about axis 8 at right angles to the axis of inclination and the proper direction to restore the axis 2 in the same vertical with the .pendulum axis 34, in accordance with well known laws relating to gyroscopes. The pendulum 33 being universally suspended, it may act on all of the .port-s 23 in a similar manner in any position the gyro frame 1 may assume, In case the gyro'frame should precess. through a wide angle, in which event, the pendulum 33 would strike the, spokes 27, suitable cushion'- ing means may be provided Such as a plural' I shown in Fig. 1, or a rubber ring may be provided. In this manner, the gyro axis 2 is caused -to settle on the vertical'corresponding to the mean position of the pendulum.

The behavior of my apparatus is also interesting when acted on by an acceleration force. No matter in what direction the acceleration force is exerted, the following effects will be produced; l

First, the short period pendulum 35 will be given an inclination in the direction of the applied force,

Second, precession of the gyroscope as a whole will be set up at right angles to thcl which is in a plane substantially at right angles to the displacement of the pendulum. Consequently, it will be found that a reaction will be set upwhich directly opposes the precessional movement of the gyroscope, thus tendin to prevent a disturbance thereof by acce eration forces, as well as to quickly damp Y out any .oscillation of the pendulum that may exist.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus, which I n ow consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have'it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the inventionfcan be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering' with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to suchuse. f

Havin herein described my invention what I c aim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In combination, a gyroscopic rotor, a housing mounted for oscillation about a horizontal axis, rotatably supportingsaid rotor,

and having a plurality of horizontally directed orifices carried by said frame located to. one side of said axis, means for causing a ow of gas through'said orifices and a pendulum universally suspended in said ousing for controlling the orifices.

2. In combination, a gyroscopic rotor, a housing mounted for oscillation rotatably supporting said rotor, a hemi-spherical chamber on said housing having a plurality of orifices tangentially arranged on the outside of said chamber communicating with the interior thereof, means for creating a difference in pressure within said chamber and a pendulum for controlling the orifices.

3. combination, a gyroscopic rotor, a housing mounted for oscillation rotatably supporting said rotor, a hemi-spherical chamber o n said housing positioned with its open end upwards and its spherical vcenter ering and uncovering said openings.

4. In combination, a gyroscopic rotor, a housingi mounted for oscillation rotatably supporting mld rotor, a hemi-spherical supporting said rotor, a pendulum univerpendulum and exerting torques on the latter about a plusally suspendedon said frame on the gyro spinning axis, and means controlled by said carried by said frame for rality of axes dependent upon the direction of displacement of the pendulum.

"6. In combination, a gyroscopic rotor, a housing mounted for oscillation rotatably supporting sa-id` rotor, a hemispherical chamber on said housing having its spherical center on the gyro spinning axis, and having a plurality of openings communicating with sald chamber, means Jfor creating a differentialy. air pressure Within and Without said chamber, and a pendulum for controlling said openings universally suspended at said spherical center arranged to equally close the openings when the gyro spinning axis and said pendulum are in a vertical position.

7. Incombinatiom a gyroscopic pendulum, means for damping oscillations thereof comprising a-second pendulum having a spherical bob connected to said first pendulum, 'a hemispherical chamber for said second pendulum having a plurality of slotted openings at right angles to the gyro axis, said openings being controlled by said second pendulum, and kmeans for causing a flow of air through said openings.

8. In a gyroscopic endulum, means for damping oscillations t ereof comprising an inclosing casing having intake passages, a hemispherlcal chamber having exhaust ports, `means carried' by the gyroscopic rb tor Jfor supplying gas from said intake passages to said chamber, and a pendulum having a bob formed with a spherical surface universally suspended on the axis offsaid rotor within said chamber, said pendulum being arranged to control said exhaust ports.

9. In a gyroscopic pendulum, means for damping oscillations thereof comprising an inclosing casing having intake passages, a substantially hemispherical chamber having slotted exhaust ports equally spaced around said chamber with their main dimensions lyingin the same horizontal plane, means for supplying air from said intake passage to said ports and a pendulum universally suspended on the gyro axis Within said chamberfor controlling the passage of gas through said ports.

10. In algyroscopic pendulum, means for damping oscillations thereof comprising an inclosing casing including a hemispherical chamber, exhaust nozzles tan entially arranged on said'chamber locate in the same horizontal plane, said chamber having horizontally arranged, spaced slots in said chamber communicating with said nozzles, means carried bythe gyroscopic rotor for causing a flow of air through said slots, and a pendulum suspended onv the axis of said rotor Within saidchamber having abob arranged to cover and uncover said slots.

11. In a gyroscopic pendulum, means for 'damping oscillations thereof comprising an inclosing casing having an intake passage, a heini-spherical chamber having exhaust ports, means carried by the gyroscopic rotor for supplying gas from said intake passages to said chamber under pressure, and a simple pendulum suspended onthe axis of said rotor Within said chamber, having a bob formed with a spherical surface cut from a sphere of slightly smaller diameter than that of said chamber, for controlling the orifices of said exhaust jets, said jets being located on a horizontal plane so as to be equally closed by said ybob when the simple pendulum and the axis of said rotor. are vertical.

12. In a gyroscopic pendulum, means for damping oscillations thereof comprising an inclosing'casing having intake passages, `a hemi-spherical chamber havingexhaust ports, means carried by the gyroscopic rotor for supplying gas from said intake passages to said chamber, and a pendulum suspended on the axis of said rotor within said chamber, having a bob formed With a spherical surface cut diameter than that of said chamber, controlling the orifices of said exhaust jets,

said bob being provided with a plurality of grooves to form a labyrinth packing between it and said chamber.

13. In a gyroscopic pendulum, the combination with a univers-ally mounted gyroscope, a pendulum universally supported thereon, and means the relative displacement of the pendulum and gyroscope in any' direction for exerting a torque on the gyroscope at an angle to the displacement iof the pendulum.

from a sphere of slightly smalflery brought into action by` 14. In a gyroscopic pendulum, the combination With a universally 'mounted gyroscope, a pendulum universally supported thereon, and means brought into action by the .relative displacement of the pendulum and gyroscope in any direction for exerting a torque on the gyroscope about a horizontal axis substantially at right angles to the dis` placement of the pendulum.

15. In a gyroscopic pendulum, the combination with a gyroscope, means for supporting the same for oscillation about a plurality of axes, means for exerting torques on said gyroscope about each of its axes of support, and a pendulum controller for said means.

16. ln a gyroscopic pendulum, the combination with a gyroscope, means for supporting the same for oscillation about a plurality of normally horizontal axes, a pluj rality of horizontally directed circumferentially 4spaced air jets secured to said gyro-` means for blowing air through said jets, and 10 In testimony whereof I have aiixed my 15 Signature.

MORTIMER F; BATES. 

